courtesy of ign
One of the misconceptions that Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 will have to fight to destroy is that it's a straight up shooter. The real deal is that it's not what most people are expecting, especially when it comes to multiplayer. The truth of the matter is that it Brothers in Arms is a nifty tactical game that involves more thinking than your average shooter. It certainly comes with its fair share of trigger happy fun, but considering each player will usually have a group of soldiers following him or her around the battlefield, the action relies a lot on the tactical superiority of the mind behind the gun. We know this because we played it on Wednesday.
The guys at Gearbox readily say that they are going for tactics over deathmatch in the implementation of the multiplayer of Brothers in Arms. What does this mean for the game? Well, first off, as stated earlier, each player will be in charge of him or herself as well as a fire or assault team. These guys can receive simple commands such as rally around, fire on this target, or move and cover here. At this point, the AI seems pretty darn reactive and will defend and attack as needed. They won't ever advance without your orders, but are handy to have along in a heavy firefight. If a player character is killed in combat, he or she can then jump in to take over for one of the surviving members of the group.
Controls for guiding the AI are simple and effective. Simply (in the case of the Xbox) hold down the left trigger, point the cursor at a location and hit the X button. This causes the AI to perform different actions depending on where the cursor is pointed. If it's pointed at somewhere on the ground, it will be a move command. If the cursor is pointed at an enemy, it will instruct the AI to engage and destroy in that area. The last option is to hold down the white button in order to have all of the men follow behind. If that command is given, they'll fall in and do whatever you do. Using the AI smartly can create some interesting situations with flanking maneuvers in order to distract or destroy the enemy.
Having these extra men along means that there will be 16 characters running around on the field (including the players) at a time. Therefore, the number of human players in the game will be restricted to four with two on each side. The games we played were still pretty hectic and required some serious collaboration between both the attacking and defending teams. But forget about just running willy nilly through a level spraying bullets wherever you run. This is not Medal of Honor or Call of Duty, nor is it trying to be.
The game types that we had the chance to participate in required two teams of Americans to fight their way towards targets to blow them up. Teams will first have to located explosives and pick them up, then find their way to the target, plant the explosives, and defend the area while the timer winds down. The interesting thing about the game modes in Brothers in Arms is that they're completely tied to the map that is being played. So these two maps are going to be different from the other maps in terms of design and goal. While there are some consistencies between each of the missions, such as a ten minute time limit, a fact that there are no draws, and that AI will play a part, most of the maps will have huge differences.
For instance, one map was described as taking place during the night drop that kicked the D-Day invasion off. During this drop, American soldiers were scattered all over the place, most often landing completely alone without any real bearing of location or direction. The two American players in this scenario will spawn without fire teams and with a sniper rifle. Meanwhile the German players will still have a full compliment of AI men following behind. Gearbox is hoping that these large differences between the levels will create a good variety for players that will keep them loving Brothers in Arms for a while to come. Make sure to check back soon as we'll begin profiling the different multiplayer scenarios that can be expected from Brothers in Arms.
While the LAN that was set up for the contest was on the Xbox, there will be no difference in the gameplay aside from the separate sets of controls for the PC and PS2. All of the platforms can expect to see exactly the same experience in terms of maps and game types.
Crossroads at Pellerin
The first map that was loaded took place in a little town. Buildings scattered the landscape as well as various objects and foliage. Germans and Americans started on different ends of the map. The Americans were limited to one explosives pack in this round that needed to be carried to a truck on the German side of the town and used to destroy the vehicle.
Because there was only one pack, only one team could grab it and make the way to the truck with the other making a distraction and running cover. The only difference between the two teams were the firearms used. The Fire Teams on each side are given longer range weapons such as rifles and BARs while the Assault Team is relegated with quicker firing weapons for closer combat situations that can also be used more effectively while moving.
Each player has a compliment of AI following behind in this map and they'll need to be used heavily in fortified locations to back cover the player running to the truck to plant the explosives. If that player character is killed, the explosives will drop on the ground and will need to be retrieved before they can be planted. But once planted, the explosives can not be unplanted. The timer can be stopped by the defending teams, but at that point the explosives will be stuck there so that the either American player simply needs to get to charge and start the timer again with a tap of a button. That sounds a whole lot easier than it actually is.
The interesting thing about the truck is that it's sitting out in the middle of the crossroads, hence the name of the map. Running out to the truck is extremely hazardous as the Germans will have many great locations to defend the area in terms of buildings and low walls. Also scattered around the truck in all directions are holes that look to have come from shelling, which also can serve as cover for advancing or defending troops... though grenades can be easily lobbed into them in order to flush out any soldiers hiding inside.
After the truck is destroyed the Americans win the game. If the truck isn't destroyed in the 10 minute time limit, the Germans will claim victory.
In the Trenches
This map was similar in purpose to Crossroads but very different in design and destination. This time, two anit-aircraft guns were the target of the Americans. Instead of one explosives kit, two were available meaning that each team could pick one up. This larger map is loaded with trenches and cover in the form of both low walls, logs, and foliage. The challenge for the Americans is finding their way to the anti-aircraft guns at all. Because the map is so much larger, German troops should have ample time to set up defenses before the Allies even arrive. The trick for the Germans is deciding whether to split their attention over both guns or concentrate on defending one of them. Both decisions can be difficult because of the width and cover on the field.
After bumbling the first round, we were given some aid by way of tactical advice. On the right hand side of the map is a nice hedgerow that allows for cover almost all the way down the guns. If the Americans can make their way towards that row and get there without the Germans seeing them, they'll be able to flank the guns and the enemy troops, which is exactly what happened. The game was actually over before it started in this case.
One of the main tricks taught to us was that placing the explosives was about as important as anything else. Once the explosives are planted, it doesn't matter where the pack is dropped anymore. Also, spreading both forces out a little bit from each other makes a world of difference. If both explosive packs are dropped in the same location, German troops can concentrate their defense of that one area and once they're dug in, they're really hard to dislodge. Those trenches make for excellent defensive points.
These games were especially fun because the wider map allowed for a much better view and example of how tactics could be used to defeat the enemy. It's very possible to actually tell your soldiers to run on to the side without you while you distract the enemy. After they reach their location, hopefully on the flank of the enemy, they can then be given the order to attack from the side, a perfect maneuver to catch the enemy off guard.
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is looking pretty good. While we didn't get a ton of time in the game, it certainly was enough to see that this multiplayer is much different than your average shooter fare. We're definitely looking forward to getting some more time with the different mission types and maps as the game draws nearer to its release date.
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